Coiled Basketry in British Columbia and Surrounding Region

Coiled Basketry in British Columbia and Surrounding Region remains one of the most important resources on N'laka'pamux Basketry. The research was compiled by James Alexander Teit in the early part of the 20th century, when the basket-making tradition was still very much alive. Indeed the text mentions that by the time of its compilation (pre-1928), coiled basketry had almost disappeared among the Shuswap and the Okanagon, but that "the Lillooet and the Thompson probably manufacture as many now as they ever did" (133). Later in the Introduction, mention is made that many groups had ceased making baskets by 1850. Other groups in the lower mainland and the coast made baskets, such as "the Sechelt, Squamish, Stalo or Lower Fraser, the Nootsak, the tribes of Puget Sound, and the Cowlitz, all of whom live not far from the Lillooet and the Thompson and their southern neighbors..." (133). It seems to have declined with the death of a number of basket-makers, although there are initiatives to keep the basket-making craft and tradition alive, as well as to promote its continued appreciation.

The work consists of over 365 pages, illustrated with 94 plates and more than 120 in text illustrations demonstrating methods and techniques, along with a description of the materials used. The Introduction discusses the influence of Thompson and Lillooet basket-making on neighbouring groups. It would seem that the tradition of coiled basket-making from cedar roots was native to the Cascade region of British Columbia and Washington, where "the people lived more or less sedentary lives" (141).

Thompson Woman with Burden Basket, 1914, (S'Wixa with large decorated basket she made). Photos by James A. Teit. Canadian Museum of Civilization, 26620, 26621 & 26622

Importance of the N'laka'pamux Basket Makers

It would seem that much of the work is based on the observation of Thompson basket makers, as the following excerpt explains:

The Thompson are at the present time, and probably were in the past, the most prolific producers of coiled imbricated basketry of all the tribes comprising the Salish group, where it is supposed that the art had its origin. ... To a large extent the manufacture seems to have depended on the location in which the people made their homes, as well as upon there other occupations, which were more or less controlled by the conditions under which they lived. Certain parts of the country, as, for instance, the Cascade region, enjoy a comparatively moist climate, which produces dense forest growth. Owing to the proximity of good salmon streams and their custom of living largely on fish, the people were somewhat sedentary in their habits, and because food was plentiful they had leisure not only in which to manufacture baskets for the immediate needs of the household but to develop for these an artistic decoration which satisfied their love of the beautiful. Materials of the best quality for these purposes grew in abundance right at hand. (143).

The text also mentions that

Among the Thompson the greatest number of baskets were made by the Utä'mqt or Lower Thompson people who live in the Fraser River Canyon. [...] The Utä'mqt still continue to be the best basket makers of the entire Tribe. [...] Although the Utä'mqt dwell in a more favoured region, the Ntlakyapamux'o'e ("Real Thompson") of Lytton and the Stlaxaai'ux of the Fraser River Valley above Lytton who live in a more arid, barren country also produced baskets in considerable numbers. (144).

Considering the tribe as a whole, probably more than two-thirds of all the women weave baskets. (145).

Materials and Techniques used in Basket-making

Coiled Baskets of the N'laka'pamux, Spences Bridge, BC, 1912. Photos by James A. Teit, Canadian Museum of Civilization, 23161, 23162 & 23163

The text then describes in considerable detail the materials used in basket making, how these materials are gathered, how they are prepared, and the tools used in the craft. A separate section on trade is then included, since the people living in areas where materials were abundant traded with those people living in less favourable areas. Of course, finished baskets were also traded for various items such as buckskin clothing, foodstuffs, and other materials such as beads and household items.

A complete description of the method for making these baskets is then described in considerable detail, starting with the bottom coiling and working up to the rim of the basket, with some discussion of slat bottoms, rims, lids, the practice of loopwork, etc. Considerable attention is paid to the probable date of the introduction of certain features. Footed baskets, for example, are noted to have “come into use about 1800” (191). Handles were also a “late introduction” but were common by the early part of the 20th century.

The text also classifies baskets in terms of their form and purpose: burden baskets (for dry burdens of all descriptions), round baskets (including basins, pails, bowls, and kettles for liquids), nut and pot-shaped baskets (for storage of small articles), and storage baskets (for large amounts of food or clothing). Trays are also identified as an individual form, as are other odd-shaped baskets based on “imitations of white men's boxes” (197-198). These include baskets from which liquids can be poured, various specialized storage baskets, rattles, and baby carriers.

Decorative Elements of Baskets

Coiled Baskets of the N'laka'pamux, Spences Bridge, BC, 1916. Lantern slides from photos by James A. Teit, Canadian Museum of Civilization, 36476 and 36478

A further section studies the proportions of burden baskets, while another discusses methods of ornamentation, such as beading and imbrication. Beading is a form of decoration where the outside of a coil is faced with a thin strip of brightly coloured bark or grass by sewing. Imbrication uses the same material, but by dictionary definition, is "an over-lapping, as of tiles or shingles" or overlapping in a regular pattern. The difference between the two techniques seems to lie in the fact that imbrication is really woven into the basket, whereas beading is an applied or sewn decoration. The text indicates however that the beading technique was "going out of style" (235) when the work was published. Later in his conclusion, Boas offers the following clarification and provides a rationale for the preference of imbrication among the N'laka'pamux:

"The technical relation between beading and imbrication can hardly be doubted. The method of overlaying the coil with decorative material is the same in both cases. The stimulus that may have led to imbrication is the desire to obtain continuous surfaces of the same color. This may be done in beading by overlaying a number of stitches with the ornamental material, as is done in weaving. On account of the weakness of the ornamental grass or bark, work decorated in this way will quickly deteriorate because the long strips of overlaid material would tear easily. By catching the overlay in each stitch of coiling this difficulty is obviated because the overlay is thus held firmly to the surface of the basket." (384)

The text also discusses the designs and patterns in considerable detail, as well as design elements. The many illustrations or in-text figures are useful in the thirty pages under the section "Application of Design to Field." As far as the selection of the design is concerned, there seems to have been little or no restrictions. Women copied each other's designs or taught their daughters how to make them. New designs could come to them in dreams but there seems to have been little personal ownership of these designs since "sooner or later some one sees it on a basket, perhaps a stranger, and copies it, and after that it is soon taken up generally" (302). Many pages are devoted to the designs and their variations, as well as the frequency with which they occur with certain groups.

Plate 2, representing a Woman Making a Basket from Coiled Basketry in British Columbia and Surrounding Region	The source photo by James A.Teit identified as "Thompson [woman] TEkwitlexkEn and Kowlalp making baskets."Note that the girl has the beginning base of a coiled basket in her lap.The (tinted) lantern slide of the same subject identifies the location as at 'the mouth of Nicola River, 1 1/2 miles east of Spences Bridge, February 1918(?). Canadian Museum of Civilization, 36293	N'laka'pamux Woman making a basket, 1918, Spences Bridge, BC. Canadian Museum of Civilization, CD2000-1

Conclusion

There are more than 90 plates illustrating the text of Coiled Basketry in British Columbia and Surrounding Region. With copious diagrams of the various patterns, and particular attention to those of the Thompson and Lillooet, the reader can get a vivid appreciation of the inventiveness and ingenuity of the women who created these extraordinary baskets.

There is no doubt that the text can still be used as a valid reference for basket-making of the N'lkaka'pamux First Nation. The outstanding value of the text, as far as salishan Place by the River's collection of baskets is concerned, is that it is virtually contemporary with the assembly of the Pearson collection in the early part of the 20th century.

RHB